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Freephones
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend the Employment Service freephone services in Scotland. [15598]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 23 March 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what plans the Employment Service (ES) has to extend freephone services in Scotland.
While we are continuously reviewing the services we provide to clients in rural areas, there are no plans at present to extend the freephone facility.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what reserves were held by each TEC at the end of the financial year 1992 93 and 1993 94. [15833]
Mr. Paice: A list of English training and enterprise councils and their accumulated reserves, as shown in their annual statutory audited accounts, at the end of the financial year 1992 93 and 1993 94 are shown in the following tables:
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TECs by region
Accumulated
reserves
|1992-93|1993-94
|£000 |£000
------------------------------------------------------------
North east
County Durham |6,582 |7,845
Northumberland |3,696 |5,150
Teesside |9,186 |10,738
Tyneside |4,486 |3,497
Sunderland (Wearside) |2,514 |2,885
|26,465 |30,115
Merseyside
CEWTEC |2,579 |2,167
Merseyside |4,210 |4,638
QUALITEC |1,055 |1,257
|7,844 |8,062
North west
Bolton/Bury |2,861 |4,633
Manchester |3,377 |4,810
METRO |519 |378
Oldham |1,456 |1,196
Rochdale |1,087 |1,665
South and East Cheshire |2,419 |2,222
Stockport and High Peak |2,782 |2,827
Cumbria |2,999 |2,800
ELTEC |3,364 |3,602
LAWTEC |2,917 |4,098
NORMID |1,093 |1,870
|24,874 |30,101
Yorkshire and Humberside
Barnsley/Doncaster |3,993 |3,172
Bradford |3,432 |3,135
Calderdale and Kirklees |828 |1,662
Humberside |5,193 |5,049
Leeds |5,724 |5,837
North Yorkshire |4,353 |5,270
Rotherham |2,865 |3,467
Sheffield |4,157 |5,301
Wakefield |3,110 |3,856
|33,655 |36,749
Eastern
Bedfordshire |1,556 |1,099
CAMBS |622 |964
Essex |5,037 |4,243
Greater Peterborough |1,532 |1,462
Hertfordshire |2,641 |2,398
Norfolk and Waverney |2,161 |2,951
Suffolk |2,984 |1,529
|16,533 |14,646
East Midlands
Greater Nottingham |944 |1,258
Leicester |4,597 |5,492
Lincolnshire |2,553 |3,779
Northamptonshire |1,977 |1,355
North Derbyshire |749 |1,008
North Nottinghamshire |1,289 |2,129
South Derbyshire |4,106 |3,675
|16,215 |18,696
West Midlands
Birmingham |1,212 |931
Central England |1,340 |1,259
Coventry/Warwick |2,203 |1,739
Dudley |1,214 |1,279
HAWTEC |1,679 |1,025
Sandwell |1,706 |1,639
Shropshire |1,304 |1,625
Staffordshire |5,789 |7,086
Walsall |2,340 |1,303
Wolverhampton |1,411 |899
|20,198 |18,785
South west
Avon |3,071 |4,374
Devon/Cornwall |7,407 |5,451
Dorset |2,848 |2,572
Gloucester |1,575 |1,870
Somerset |1,746 |2,193
Wiltshire |1,110 |2,155
|17,757 |18,615
London
AZTEC |1,932 |2,765
CENTEC |906 |2,437
CILNTEC |2,161 |2,388
LETEC |655 |3,260
North London |3,005 |2,745
North West London |864 |1,412
SOLOTEC |3,439 |5,070
South Thames |3,611 |2,319
West London |1,163 |1,511
|17,736 |23,907
South east
Hampshire |4,679 |4,493
Isle of Wight |879 |1,014
Kent |5,774 |4,938
Milton Keynes/North Buckinghamshire |677 |896
Heart of England |2,424 |2,496
Surrey |1,663 |2,828
Sussex |5,230 |5,244
Thames Valley Ent. |3,970 |5,145
|25,296 |27,054
Grand total |206,572|226,730
PRIME MINISTER
Administration and Policy Formulation
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Prime Minister what was the amount of money spent on administration and policy formulation by the Prime Minister's office in 1993 94; what are the projections for (a) 1994 95 and (b) 1995 96; and if he will make a statement. [14648]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 22 March 1995]: For this purpose, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 March 1995 to the hon. Member for Meirionnyd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science.
Official Functions
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Prime Minister what was the amount of money spent on functions hosted by him in his official capacity as Prime Minister in 1993 94; what are the projections for (a) 1994 95 and (b) 1995 96; and if he will make a statement. [14783]
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The Prime Minister [holding answer 22 March 1995]: Expenditure from my office's budget on functions hosted by me in my official capacity as Prime Minister in 1993 94 was £33,000; information for projected expenditure is not available.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Court Service Agency
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the logo for the Court Service Agency, (b) the winning design, produced by Jeanette Paris, of last year's departmental staff logo competition and (c) such of the Epps Partnership drawings working up the design as are in existence. [15780]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Yes. Arrangements have been made for the designs to be placed in the Library.
George Long
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what date the case of George Long was referred to the Court of Appeal; whether a date has yet been fixed for the appeal; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Home Secretary referred the case of George Long to the Court of Appeal on 16 March 1994. The hearing of the appeal was due to take place on 4 April 1995, but was taken out of the list on 20 March 1995 at the request of the parties' solicitors.
Magistrates, West Yorkshire
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the political balance of magistrates within West Yorkshire.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The political balance of magistrates within West Yorkshire on the latest information available is as follows: Conservative 566
Labour 401
Liberal/Democratic 245
Independent/Not known 160
Structured Settlements
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Government have to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission's report "Structured settlements and interim and provisional damages". [16476]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Government welcome the report and will introduce legislation implementing all the recommendations made in it, both on the rationalisation of the structured settlements system and on other aspects of the law of damages, when a suitable opportunity arises.
Trusts
Mr. Amess: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Government have to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission's report "The Law of Trusts--Delegation by Individual Trustees", Law Com. No. 220. [16477]
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Mr. John M. Taylor: The Government have decided to accept the Law Commission's recommendations subject to one amendment, agreed with the commission, which will ensure that there will be no need to renew an enduring power of attorney if the donor of the power has a beneficial as well as a fiduciary interest in the relevant property. The Government will introduce legislation to implement these proposals when a suitable legislative opportunity occurs.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Electricity Supplies
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much was paid by regional electricity companies to Electricite de France for supplies via the cross-channel interconnector in each of the last five years; and what proportion in cash and percentage terms was accounted for by it being electricity sourced from nuclear power stations. [15839]
Mr. Eggar: The amounts paid for electricity supplies across the interconnector are a commercial matter for the contracting parties. I understand that those RECs with output contracts with EDF have been able to satisfy the Director General of Electricity Supply that the electricity they import from France is supplied from designated nuclear stations.
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of the electricity supplied by Electricitie de France through the cross-channel interconnector in each of the last five years. [15840]
Mr. Eggar: This is a commercial matter for the parties to the relevant contracts.
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much electricity was imported from France through the cross-channel interconnector in each of the last five years; and how much was produced by nuclear power. [15842]
Mr. Eggar: Electricity imports from France have been as follows: Electricity imports from France, GWh
Year
1990: 11,749
1991: 16,466
1992: 16,786
1993: 16,763
1994: 16,942
Source: National Grid Company plc
I understand that those regional electricity companies with output contracts with Electricitie de France have been able to satisfy the Director General of Electricity Supply that the electricity they import from France is supplied from designated nuclear stations.
Television Decoders
Mr. Allen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of whether it will be possible to oblige manufacturers of decoding systems for television transmission to fit, in addition to the proprietary
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conditional access system, a connector to the decoder box for a common interface; and if the Government support the concept of a common interface throughout Europe.Mr. Ian Taylor: The Government have looked closely at this issue. The development of a common interface for conditional access equipment is an option provided for in the draft EC directive on standards for television broadcasting. A common position on this directive was adopted by the Council on 13 November 1994. The directive is now being considered by the European Parliament. The European Digital Video Broadcasting Group--an industry body with a standard-making role--has developed an agreed technical specification for such an interface. If the directive is adopted in the terms of the common position, the common interface will be an option, but not a requirement, for manufacturers of set-top boxes. However, manufacturers will be obliged to incorporate in equipment the capacity to descramble signals according to a common European algorithm.
The Government have supported these developments. The Government consider that it is important that the option of a common interface should be open to manufacturers and to those establishing conditional access systems for digital television. But the Government are also firmly of the view that a common interface should not be mandatory for conditional access systems: such systems involve a considerable investment, and face a real risk of piracy. Not all operators will want manufacturers to install a common interface; they should not be obliged to do so.
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Nuclear Review
Mr. Beith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when and in what form he expects to announce the results of the nuclear review. [15447]
Mr. Eggar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 19 October 1994, Official Report, column 239.
Surveys
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14501]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 20 March 1995]: The tables list only those surveys commissioned by my Department from polling or public survey organisations in 1993 94 and 1994 95. Information on the individual fees paid cannot be disclosed due to commercial confidentiality considerations, but the total value of those listed was £270,000 in 1993 94 and £329,000 in 1994 95. Most surveys commissioned by my Department are of businesses and are conducted by business consultants or by the Department itself. Polling organisations compete for these contracts in accordance with competitive tendering rules, and sometimes gain contracts for other than polling work.
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DTI surveys commissioned from polling or public survey companies 1993-94
Survey |Objective |Contractor
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enterprise Initiative Tracking Study |Track awareness and perceptions of the Enterprise Initiative |MORI
| programme among businesses
Evaluation of the LINK |Evaluate this aspect of the LINK programme |PA Consulting
programme: Nanotechnology
Survey on small firms publication |Establish awareness of and attitudes towards Small Firms' division's|BLM Research and
research | publications | Marketing
Radiocommunications Agency |Citizens' Charter customer feedback |MORI
Customer Survey
Firework Safety Study |Gauge public awareness of/reaction to firework safety publicity |RSGB
| to assess 1995 advertising strategy
TEC Evaluation |Evaluate TECs' performance |PA Consulting
Renewable Energy Awareness- |Assess extent of awareness of renewable energy at senior |BMRB
industrial and commercial sectors
Renewable Energy Awareness- |Assess extent of public awareness of renewable energy |RSGB
general public
DTI Surveys commissioned from polling or public survey companies 1994-95
Survey |Objective |Contractor
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metrication Survey |Assess public attitudes before implementation of EC Directive on |RSGB
| metric food pricing
Survey on the United Kingdom |Assess needs of aerospace sector for DTI services |PA Consulting
Aerospace sector
Wider Effects of Inward Investment |Assess what are the wider effects of inward investment |PA Consulting
United Kingdom Measurement |Assess long-term metrology requirements of industry from DTI |PA Consulting
Foresight programme | laboratories
Radiocommunications Agency-Quality of |Obtain customer feedback in order to improve service to PMR |EDS
service improvements for Private | users
Mobile Radio (PMR) users
Radiocommunications Agency |Citizens charter |MORI
Business Links Baseline Tracking |Tracking research for the Business Link initiative |MORI
Study
Firework Safety Study |Guage public awareness of/reaction to firework safety publicity to|RSGB
| assess 1995 advertising strategy
TEC Evaluation |Evaluate TECs' performance |PA Consulting
British Coal Allotments
Mr. Enright: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has held with regard to allotment holders on British Coal property. [13902]
Mr. Page: We are actively pursuing with British Coal options for the future of allotments. No decisions have yet been taken.
Executive Pay Review
Mr. French: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects the Greenbury committee on executive pay to report. [15434]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The CBI announced on 16 January that Sir Richard Greenbury would chair a group to review the structure within which executive remuneration was determined and disclosed. The announcement indicated that the group would aim to report within six months.
Investing Companies
Mr. Legg: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what grants, aid or relief are available to companies investing in the United Kingdom from (a) Government, (b) the European Union and (c) local authorities and how much money was granted in each year since 1990 under each source. [15341]
Mr. Eggar: The information requested is not collated. Schemes run by my Department are published annually in "The Government's Expenditure Plans, Trade and Industry", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Legg: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many (a) non-EU and (b) EU foreign companies have invested in the United Kingdom since 1990. [15323]
Mr. Eggar: According to figures notified to my Department's Invest in Britain Bureau, for the financial years 1990 to 1994, from a total of 1,478 inward investment projects in the UK, 983 were from non-EU countries and the remaining 495 from EU countries. These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest, and take no account of subsequent developments.
Mr. Legg: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of assets repatriated from the United Kingdom by overseas companies since 1990. [15320]
Mr. Eggar: The information is not available.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Competing for Quality"
Mr. Legg: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide a breakdown of the results of the "Competing for Quality" programme, on a Department-by-Department basis, for the years 1992 93 and 1993 94 giving the proportion of work awarded for each Department which was abolished, privatised, contracted out, awarded to the in-house team or led to internal restructuring and the level of savings achieved by each Department.
Mr. Horam: The results of the "Competing for Quality" programme, covering the period from April 1992 to September 1994, have been broken down as requested. Copies have been placed in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Consulates
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total cost of maintaining United Kingdom consulates in 1993 94; what are the projections for (a) 1994 95 and (b) 1995 96; and if he will make a statement. [14268]
Mr. Goodlad: Details of the actual and projected costs of maintaining United Kingdom consulates are provided in the following list:
Year Cost £ million
1993 94: 50.1
1994 95: 51.6
1995 96: 53.4
The figures include the costs of consulates-general and one vice-consulate. Further information can be found in the FCO's 1995 departmental report, a copy of which is placed in the Library of the House.
Palestine
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitment he has made to send United Kingdom observers to supervise the Palestinian legislative elections; and if this has been accepted by President Arafat. [15534]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: During his visit to Gaza on 14 March, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister reaffirmed the EU's willingness to consider co-ordinating international observation of the Palestinian elections. Chairman Arafat warmly welcomed this. The nature of the UK's participation will be considered once the agreement has been reached between the Israelis and the
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Palestinians on the arrangements for the elections and their observation.Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made in implementing the second chapter of the declaration of principles at 9 March meeting between Shimon Peres and Yaser Arafat. [15532]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Mr. Peres and Mr. Arafat agreed to aim to complete negotiations on elections and redeployment on the west bank by 1 July, and on various confidence-building measures--including the opening of safe passage routes between Gaza and Jericho, the reactivation of the ministerial committee reviewing procedures for the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the expedition of passage through checkpoints. They agreed to increase the number of permits for Palestinian workers in Israel to 21,000. Two new joint committees on security and civilian issues have been formed. It was also agreed to transfer additional economic powers to the Palestinians in the west bank.
Foreign Ministers Meeting
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Carcassonne. [15673]
Mr. David Davis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs attended
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the informal EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Carcassonne on 18 and 19 March. Discussion covered a wide range of topical issues. The EU's relations with Russia and the situation in the former Yugoslavia were the main focus. On Russia, EU Foreign Ministers agreed a broad strategy covering the EU's political, economic and security relationship, taking into account the economic reform process in Russia, the situation in Chechnya and questions of European security architexture.Discussion on the former Yugoslavia concentrated on the need to ensure the extension of the cessation of hostilities in Bosnia; the continuation of the presence of UN forces in Croatia; and the importance of carrying forward proposals for a durable and peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Temporary Contracts
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees in(i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration for the current year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constituted.
Mr. Goodlad [holding answer 15 March 1995]: The number of employees on temporary contracts of less than 51 weeks' duration are as follows:
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|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95 |<1>1995-96
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. of casuals |81 |80 |83 |99 |106 |115
Percentage of total work force |0.83 |0.81 |1.01 |1.24 |1.38 |1.53
<1> Projected figures for 1995-96.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Independent Commission for Police Complaints
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list (a) expenditure for the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland for 1994 95 and (b) projected expenditure for the same body for 1996 97. [15411]
Sir John Wheeler: Forecast expenditure by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland for the 1994 95 financial year is £781,000. At this stage, projected expenditure by the commission for the 1996 97 financial year is estimated at £823, 000.
School Transfer Tests
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the details of the marking formulae for the school transfer test. [14895]
Mr. Ancram: The compilers of the tests prepare a marking key for each of the tests. The key indicates the correct answer, or the range of acceptable answers, to each question and, if appropriate, the basis on which the available marks should be awarded. The marking keys are adjusted to take account of unforeseen acceptable answers
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which emerge during marking, upon which all candidates' papers are remarked accordingly.Copies of the marking keys are made available to the principals of primary and preparatory schools when marking is complete.
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will make available the individual child's marks to parents of children who undertake the school transfer test; [14896]
(2) what marks were awarded in the school transfer results for examinee number 21949/8. [14898]
Mr. Ancram: It is not the Department's policy to issue transfer test marks for individual candidates.
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what adjustments are made in the marking results of the school transfer test to take account of the individual child's age. [14897]
Mr. Ancram: The marks obtained by the children in each section-- English, mathematics and science--of each test are adjusted for age, using a statistical analysis of the scores to calculate an amount to be added to the scores of the younger children; the younger the child, the larger the allowance will be. The allowance for each child is calculated in accordance with the day of his or her birth.
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Public Record Office
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide details of the launch of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland as a next steps executive agency. [16202]
Mr. Moss: The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland will be formally established as an executive agency on 1 April 1995. The key performance targets set for the agency for 1995 96 are: 1. to (a) process 1,100 linear feet of privately deposited records and ensure that 100 per cent. of all new such "open" material is processed within one year of receipt; and (b) reappraise approximately 10,000 linear feet of records with a view to eliminating low-grade material;
2. to reduce the unit cost of £16.62 per reader visit by 6 per cent. to £15.79 without diminishing the quality of service; 3. to process written enquiries from customers within 10 working days of receipt in 70 per cent. of cases and within 14 working days in 95 per cent. of cases; and
4. to manage the agency's work load--including an anticipated 3 per cent. increase in readers and the introduction of extended opening hours--while ensuring that expenditure is within financial limits approved by the Department.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Private Detective Agencies
Mr. Denham: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the schemes, activities and projects on which Brays Detective Agency has been retained by the Treasury Solicitor, in each case giving the Government Department sponsoring the scheme, activity or project; what is the purpose of the contract with Brays; and what is the total expenditure to date. [15119]
The Attorney-General: Brays Detective Agency is used by the Treasury Solicitor on a case by case basis rather than under any standing contract. The principal Government Departments for which work is undertaken by the agency are:
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